“i would like to congratulate”.. “on behalf of”.. “i would to thank”.. “moving forward”.. “driving innovation”.. “a momentous day”.. “maximize”..

What a boring launch event for the “Google Phone” aka T-Mobile G1. Why is it that most corporate leaders always insist in communicating in a manner that doesn’t communicate. You don’t have to have Steve’s Jobs’ showmanship. But why that dry, impersonal language. Is that the way those people talk to their friends..

200809231944

“Hello, we’re the scripted executives” [photo from Engadget]

Then, just as one could fall asleep (I watched the video of the launch event), the Google founders Larry and Sergey come rolling in (on rollerblades).. adding some color to a dull event..

Larry Page and Sergey Brin at the G1 launch event

“Hi.. we invented Google and we are still geeks on rollerblades” (watch launch video here)

Group photo at launch event

“Another group photo with the rollerbladed GoogleHeads”.. [photo from Engadget]

Then, there’s T-Mobile’s marketing..

After the event, I did a search on their site for “g1” and got nothing! They’ve been woking on this phone project for three years but couldn’t get themselves to upload stuff on their site in time..

Their phone page was showing cheap Motorolas and not the G1..

Then, a few hours after the event, the official G1 web site went up..

launch website for the T-Mobile G1

Again, not very inspiring..

I am just shocked at how, in the post iPhone era, the combination of Google, T-Mobile and HTC could not create a better launch for this product. Maybe it is that very “combination” that makes crisp communication difficult. Apple’s single mindedness is a real competitive edge.

Ok so what about the ACTUAL PHONE, I hear someone shout..

Here a TV commercial for it..

OK.. Walt Mossberg is calling it the first real iPhone rival. He might be right, although phones like the Samsung Omnia, the HTC Touch Diamond and the new BlackBerry offerings are really worthy contenders too.

Push Gmail, integration with Google Calendar, Google maps with street view, GPS, 3G, WiFi, Android’s pretty advanced touch interface, lessa WebKit based browser (“call it ‘Chrome Lite’”, the Google guy at the event said) a 3.2 MP camera, an application marketplace (one of the Google founders called it the “App Store”.. Ouch), the Amazon MP3 store, a slide out QWERTY keyboard all make this phone pretty powerful.

But then you have..

A pretty bland industrial design
No video shooting (WHAT THE HECK!)
No standard audio jack (imagine that)
A music player that looks pretty dated
No desktop application for sync

And that’s pretty lame..

No standard audio Jack for G1

“look mom.. no standard audio jack:..

Now mind you, Google will open source Android. That may yield exciting developments in the months and years to come.. Anybody will be able to modify and improve upon Android.

Hmm..

Suddenly we have a situation where it’s not just Symbian that’s playing out there. Now we have Mac OSX running the iPhone with an an approach that tightly integrates hardware and software, and Android, that will run across multiple hardware platforms and that will be open for change. We also haveWindows Mobie, RIM’s Blackberry and others that are contending for mobile dominance..

Hopefully this will, ehem, “drive innovation” and “bring customers the best user experiences”.. ehem..

I would certainly like to try using a G1, but probably not buy one..


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One response to “Boring event, pretty good phone: the G1 Google phone is here”

  1. Nadine Avatar
    Nadine

    So confused. Was so sure it was my phone till this post that just pissed in my cherios!! Ufff… the quest goes on….